New research released today has revealed that there are more than a thousand homeless people in Cornwall.

The report, from homelessness charity Shelter, analysed government figures to find that across England, there are at least 271,000 people recorded as homeless - the equivalent of one in every 208 people.

In Cornwall, there are 1,667 homeless people, 744 of which are children, including those living in temporary accommodation, those sleeping rough and those in hostels or supported accommodation.

Of these, there were 1,600 people who were living in temporary accommodation arranged by the council, 49 living in temporary accommodation arranged by themselves or homeless at home (legally homeless or becoming homeless within the next eight weeks), and 28 people sleeping on the streets.

This is the equivalent of one in 340 people in Cornwall, making the region the fourth most prevalent area for homelessness in the South West, coming only behind Bristol, Torridge and Plymouth.

Across the South West as a whole, there were 10,432 people recorded as homeless (one in 546), 4,350 of whom were children.

This is compared to London, which recorded one in 58 people as homeless, the highest in the country, and the North East, which had one in 2,118 people who were homeless, the lowest proportion in the country.

Nationally, the number of people living in temporary accommodation has risen by 74 per cent in the last 10 years, which Shelter says is driven by the “chronic” shortage of social homes, and an over-reliance on “grossly expensive and unstable” private renting.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: “The new year should be a time of hope, but this isn’t the case for the 271,000 homeless people who are facing a truly bleak 2023.

“A cold doorway or a grotty hostel room is not a home, but this is reality for too many people today.

“Our frontline advisers are working tirelessly to help people who are desperate to escape homelessness - from the parents doing all they can to provide some shred of a normal family life while stuck in an emergency B&B, to the person terrified of another night sleeping rough.

“With private rents and living costs continuing to soar, thousands of people are not just facing a winter of worry, they are at risk of losing the roof over their head.

“At Shelter, we are bracing ourselves for a sharp rise in homelessness in 2023.

“More than ever, we will be relying on the public’s generosity to help us support and campaign for all those fighting for a safe home.”